Reading Time: 2 min I’m a stickler for my calendar. If I’m on a call and someone asks if I’m available next Thursday, I want the calendar to be able to tell me exactly how that day is looking. Problems arise when I fail to put something on there (“No worries, I’ll just remember that”) and then lose track […]
Productivity
Is the meta work worth it?
Reading Time: 2 min One of the big challenges of productivity is determining what meta work (the work around your work) is worth your time. For me, a big one is playing with productivity tools; while I might find some gains in new tools, I also tend to spend a lot of time tinkering with them. I internally consider […]
What keyboard do you use on your phone?
Reading Time: < 1 min When asked “what keyboard do you use on your phone?”, I’m guessing the answer that most people give is “the one it came with”, but you may be surprised to learn that there are ton of different keyboards that you can use on your phone/tablet. I’ve talked about great desktop keyboards before, as well as […]
Your mind never wanders
Reading Time: < 1 min Depending on what I’m doing at any given time, my mind can wander off a bit. As Kevin Horsley explains in “Unlimited Memory“, though, it never really wanders. As he says: Your mind never wanders; it moves toward more interesting things. That’s both enlightening but also frustrating. There are times when it’s fine for my […]
Gmail turns 20
Reading Time: 2 min I mentioned a few days ago that I’m not super happy with Google lately, but a few days before that I shared how I just can’t shake Gmail. The math says I shouldn’t use it, but that’s much easier said than done. It was exactly 20 years ago today, April 1, 2004, that Google introduced […]
Writing doesn’t begin with a blank page
Reading Time: 2 min If you know you need to write something and you’re struggling with where to start, a big blank page sitting in front of you can be very intimidating. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. For me, notes are the key. Before I sit down to write anything, I already have a few notes […]
Processes over routines
Reading Time: < 1 min I recently shared more thoughts on have routines instead of goals (“Just do it“), but in some cases processes can beat routines. For exercise and learning, I think routines can be great, but if your life is more varied it can be hard to stick to a routine. In those cases, processes can take over […]
11: When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Reading Time: 2 min We’ve reached the 11th and final question “Tribe of Mentors” by Tim Ferriss (see all previous questions here), and it’s a good one! When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?) There are three great answers that I pulled […]
Strategic Luxury
Reading Time: < 1 min I had an interesting set of conversations on consecutive days last week and it taught me a new phrase. When chatting with Ali, she talked about how she consistently tries to find little ways to make her life better. It could be a better jug for her water (and all of the little ways her […]
Efficiency vs Effectiveness
Reading Time: < 1 min I’ve long thought that efficiency and effectiveness were roughly the same thing. There are some small differences, but they’re both about getting things done. After reading more about both, their differences are more pronounced than I realized. Peter Drucker separates them simply by this: “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” […]